PREP BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Thanks to Fahs, Two Runs Are Enough for Fountain Valley

While his teammates struggle, Derek Fahs remains the most reliable player on the Fountain Valley baseball team.

The Barons’ offensive woes continued Tuesday at Santa Ana whenthey scraped together five hits and manged only two runs.

But Fahs made those meager numbers stand up for a 2-1 victory over Santa Ana, keeping Fountain Valley in first place in the Sunset League. The Barons (16-3, 4-0), the third-ranked team in Orange County, have a two-game lead in league play.

“That was a big win for us,” Fountain Valley Coach Ron LaRuffa said. “We’ve had our problems at the plate recently. But Derek did a great job out there. He’s been someone we can count on.”

The Barons have had trouble scoring runs in the past two weeks. But twice during that span, Fahs has provided a strong outing.

“The guys are going to break loose soon,” Fahs said. “Until then, it’s my job to go out and keep the runs down to a minimum.”

Fahs (8-1), a senior, dominated the Saints (8-5, 2-2), who are ranked eighth in the county. He allowed only two hits and struck out 11.

The only other hit Fahs allowed was a fourth-inning single by Nestor Gonzalez, who was thrown out attempting to steal.

Fahs retired 10 of the last 11 batters and faced only one batter over the minimum. He hit Gonzalez in the seventh, but he was erased when Morales grounded into a game-ending double play.

Fahs’ only mistake was a second-inning changeup that John Morales hit well beyond the left-field fence for the Saints’ only run.

Still, that one run looked to be enough through five innings, as Saint pitcher David Fausto baffled the Barons. He retired the first nine batters and limited the Barons to two hits through five innings.

“We were hitting the ball really well through the Easter break,” LaRuffa said. “But since then, we’ve struggled. There is so much ego involved in hitting at this level and the kids haven’t been very successful lately.”

The Barons found a little success in the sixth.

Eric Siragusa led off with a single, stole second and advanced to third when the throw went into center field. One out later, Derek Brown chopped a single into left field to tie the score.

In the seventh, Brian Pondchak led off with a triple off the left-field fence. One out later, Brad Powers executed a squeeze bunt to give the Barons a 2-1 lead.

In other Sunset League games:

Huntington Beach 4, Westminster 3--The Oilers (8-8, 2-2) built a 3-0 lead after five innings and then held on. Jonn Ward (4-2) went 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven, for the victory.

Marina 4, Edison 2--Jeremy Preall had two hits, drove in one run and scored another for host Marina (8-7, 1-3). Chad Benson (2-1) pitched the final four innings for the victory.

In the Century League:

Canyon 1, El Modena 0--John Schumacher drove in the game’s only run with a double in the fourth for visiting Canyon (9-5-1, 4-2).

Santa Ana Valley 7, Villa Park 6--Al Ramos hit a double down the left-field line in the bottom of the seventh to score the winning run for Santa Ana Valley (5-11, 2-4).

Orange 15, Foothill 8--Tom Snodgrass had two hits and two RBIs and Orange scored four runs in the first, five in the second and four in the sixth. Host Foothill (6-8, 3-3) committed six errors.

In the Garden Grove League:

Bolsa Grande 6, Rancho Alamitos 4--John Baughman hit a two-run home run in a five-run first inning for host Bolsa Grande (4-8, 2-2). Darin Dabalack (2-5) struck out 11 and walked four in winning his second consecutive start.

In the Olympic League:

Orange Lutheran 2, Capistrano Valley Christian 1--Jason Fox (2-0) lost a no-hitter with two outs in the seventh inning on an infield single. Capistrano Valley Christian (2-7, 0-4) scored an unearned run in the inning. Fox, a right-handed junior, struck out 10. David Rossi drove in two runs in the second inning with a double for host Orange Lutheran (9-2, 4-1).

In the Pacific Coast League:

Estancia 12, Laguna Beach 2--Paul McDaniels had four doubles, which tied a Southern Section record held by three others, for host Estancia (8-4, 5-1). Steve King had two hits and two RBIs for the Eagles.